O manuseio dos resíduos sólidos hospitalares em maternidade de referência em João Pessoa-PB.

Abstract

Global concern about solid waste, especially Health Care Waste (HCW), has increased as production increases, inadequate management and lack of final disposal areas. In this interim, health care is provided by a network of services ranging from residential care, through basic health units and hospitals of high complexity. The present study aimed to verify the management of solid health wastes in the "Frei Damião" Maternity, in João Pessoa-PB, based on qualitative research, in a descriptive-analytical research with thirty Maternity health professionals in the period of January to June 2017. A descriptive analysis was conducted through semi-structured interviews with open questions, aiming to analyze the environmental perception of these workers regarding the waste produced in the hospital unit. The professionals were selected from a representative group of six categories: doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, pharmacists and physiotherapists. The data were analyzed obeying the following steps: meeting of the corpus of analysis; Floating reading of findings; In order to constitute categories of analysis; Interpretative analysis of categories; and discussion with relevant literature. The results allowed concluding that: 1) there are still huge gaps to be filled in the process of health waste management in the hospital service. 2) The perception of the professionals involved in the hospital environment is more related to patient care, since not everyone sees the importance of segregation, and some of them are unaware of the process of final disposal of solid health wastes. 3) Therefore, it is of great importance that the health unit must invests in education and health in the unit to which all are involved, on the correct management of the solid health residues of the institution.